Ornsey 12 K 7

Design & Construction

Ornsay was built in 1939 to the International Third Rule by Camper & Nicholson at Gosport, England. She carried the sail number K-7 and was commissioned by Arthur C. Connell, a well-known British owner of multiple Twelve Metres.

She was built as a sister ship to Tomahawk, reflecting Camper & Nicholson’s late-1930s Third Rule practice.

Ownership

Owner: Arthur C. Connell
Name: Ornsay
Home Port: Portsmouth, Great Britain

Arthur C. Connell was already the owner of several prominent Twelves, including Zinita, Zoraida, Zelita, and Westra. Ornsay was his second Twelve built by Camper & Nicholson, further consolidating his significant role in the pre-war British Twelve Metre fleet.

Racing Career

Ornsay’s racing career was short and relatively modest. Across 17 recorded starts, she achieved:

  • 0 first places

  • 1 second

  • 5 thirds

While competitive, she did not match the success of some of her contemporaries, and her career was cut short by the outbreak of war.

Loss During World War II

In December 1942, Ornsay was destroyed during a German air raid while laid up at the Camper & Nicholson yard in Gosport. She was lost together with Westra during the same raid.

Historical Significance

Ornsay is notable as:

  • A late pre-war Third Rule Twelve

  • One of the last British Twelves built before wartime destruction

  • Part of Arthur C. Connell’s important Twelve Metre stable

  • A clear example of how World War II abruptly ended the careers of several major yachts, not through age or obsolescence, but through direct wartime loss